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NFL Draft 2013: Players who are most likely to become reaches

Tavon-Austin-NFL-Draft.jpg

NFL draft prospect Tavon Austin of West Virginia laughs during a youth football clinic in New York, Wednesday, April 24, 2013. Many of the top 2013 NFL draft picks are in town for the NFL draft at Radio City Music Hall on Thursday, April 25, 2013

Come 8 p.m. on April 25, the countless hours of research and analysis that have gone into four months of mock versions of the 2013 NFL Draft will be useless.

While there's certainly good thought put into most picks made by experts, media and fans, there's simply no way to project which teams will trade, what players will fall and what organization comes out of left field with a top 10 pick.

With this year's draft expected to be heavy on trades it's futile to try and project which players are going where. What is possible, though, is to look into the buzz out there to see who's likely to come off the board much earlier than expected. Here are some players who could find themselves on the receiving end of a supposed reach pick:

A few months ago, Austin was a dark horse selection for the Pats to slip in and take at the end of the first round. After the 5-foot-9 receiver blew up the combine, though, his stock has been consistently rising. Reports on Thursday, though, have indicated that the Jets are considering taking him with their first pick. Meanwhile, Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network reports that the Bills have Austin as their No. 1 player on their board.

According to CBS Sports' Jason La Confora, the Raiders may once again give us the surprise of the draft. However, it appears that this time, it won't be in the pursuit of a receiver with a ridiculous 40-time. Rather, it will be for a lesser-known prospect.

While Hayden hasn't generated much buzz, scouts and executives have been fawning over him in the weeks heading up to the draft. At one point, there was a clear pecking order when it came to ranking the cornerbacks in this draft, with Alabama's Dee Milliner sitting at the top. It seems like the Raiders intend to mix it up.

Under normal circumstances, a player with Mathieu's reputation would lead to his draft stock plummeting to late-round or undrafted status. Take former Arizona State star linebacker Vontaze Burfict, for example. Once a projected lock for the first round, Burfict went undrafted due to character concerns last year.

However, Mathieu is no ordinary case, and, as Burfict showed through his solid rookie year with the Bengals, teams might starting believe that some headcases are worth the risk.

Mathieu is undersized, but is a playmaker in the defensive backfield with much more potential than another other cornerback option that will be available later on in the draft. The former LSU star will be a hit-or-miss pick. But then again, aren't they all?

Any QuarterbackProjected selection: SensibleCould go at early as: Insane

As past drafts have shown, teams tend to lose their heads a little bit when it comes to drafting a franchise quarterback. No team wants to be left with an inferior prospect just because they decided to wait. The early selections of Christian Ponder by the Vikings, Jake Locker by the Vikings and Ryan Tannehill by the Dolphins are perfect examples of this.

Now, that's not to say it's a bad strategy. Tannehill appears to be on his way to being a solid starter in Miami while Ponder and Locker are works in progress. However, for every good decision, there's a Blaine Gabbert waiting to happen.

With that in mind, don't be shocked to see West Virginia's Geno Smith comes off the board in the top five picks. Furthermore, there's been speculation of the Bills taking quarterback Ryan Nassib at No. 8. Don't forget about USC's Matt Barkley, either. The former top prospect is still a threat to come off the board much earlier than anyone expected.